LAS VEGAS — The Knicks are “unhappy” about a change in the terms of the Rockets’ offer sheet for Jeremy Lin, according to an NBA source, after the offer was bumped to $25 million guaranteed over three years,
Despite their anger, the Knicks still are expected to match it in…

LAS VEGAS â?? J.R. Smith said he doesn’t care if he starts for the Knicks or comes off the bench as long as he is paired with Jason Kidd.”Wherever J-Kidd is, that’s where I want to be,â? said Smith, who re-signed this week. “Wherever J-Kidd is, that…

35 comments on “Knicks Morning News (Saturday, Jul 14 2012)”

I go back and forth on the Lin situation. On one hand, I’m pissed at the Rockets for upping the offer for no reason. On the other hand, business is business, teams screw with each other all the time in every sport, so why take it personally?

Ultimately, the last few weeks really couldnt have gone much better for the Knicks, so I shouldn’t complain:
We won the Bird rights case
We added quality depth at key spots with Kidd and Camby, and to a degree Prigioni
We will most likely keep Lin and have strong mentorship around him as well as quality reserves if he falters
We kept JR at a very reasonable price
We kept Novak at a fair market value price (maybe a bit overpaid but he deserves it for his advococy during the Bird rights case)
We added an exciting other worldly athletic wing in White
We will probably add more decent players…Jeffries, etc., to round out the roster

All for the cost of Fields, Jordan, Jorts, TD and 2 second round picks, plus all remaining cap space and flexibility for the next 2 years and severe luxury tax payments. Given where we were on the day we were eliminated by the Heat, how can I possibly be disappointed or angry about anything?

I wonder if the organization, and even some fans, are going to hold this contract over Lin’s head to the degree that he is set up for failure. I suppose that having Kidd and Prigioni there to buffer him makes it so that it is the perfect situation for him to develop into a decent investment in year three, although I doubt he’ll ever be a $15 mill per year player. Still, if he can play like a $7-8 mill player, and you view the contract as a whole, 3 years at $25 mill seems way more reasonable.

When you think about it, Lin was kind of a rookie last year. If he stays healthy,and continue to improve, i can picture hime getting 15 mil contract.
However, he can also become a 5 mil per year player.

I don’t see what is so bad about Lin’s offer sheet. If Dolan doesn’t care about the luxury tax, what is the problem? Correct me if I am wrong, but isn’t it 5 mil for the first two years and the 15 mil the last year? Doesn’t that just make him a big expiring contract in the worst possible scenario (i.e he totally falls apart) for the final year of his contract?

Business, as is war, is all about measures and counter measures.
The Knicks caught a break with the ruling. Well, if you can lock a guy down, it’s going to cost you. I’m surprised other teams with space an’t trying to make it harder on the Knicks.
And I hope that if the Knicks in four years have a chance at making it harder for the Heat, or the Celtics or the LAkers to hold onto a key piece of their team, they will make it harder on those teams as well.
This argument complaining about what the Rockets are doing is silly. James Carville just said, “Your opponent is drowning, throw him and anvil.” A-fuckin’ men.

Well Lin kind of screwed over Landry (if they both wanted to stay in NY) by signing this new offer sheet. No way Dolan will match both offers now when Lin is getting almost $15 million in the third year.

Degree_Absolute:
Well Lin kind of screwed over Landry (if they both wanted to stay in NY) by signing this new offer sheet.No way Dolan will match both offers now when Lin is getting almost $15 million in the third year.

Knicks said they wanted to see what the market would get Lin. The market set the price. Landry is hardly screwed. He’s going to make way more than he’s worth. He is a huge beneficiary of this current market.

Frank O.: Landry is hardly screwed. He’s going to make way more than he’s worth.

As I said, *if they both wanted to be back in NY*, Landry is screwed. There was some hope if Lin was making $9.3 million in the third year that it could still happen, but in light of this new offer sheet those hopes were dashed.

Chad Ford’s offseason grades are out, and he gives the Knicks a B-. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised given the continuing anti-NY bias in the media.

Meanwhile, he gives the Celtics an A for re-signing Garnett, Green and Bass, adding Jason Terry and drafting Sullinger and Melo. He concludes: “Here’s what’s impressive about Ainge’s moves the past few years. He has maintained his veteran core while still putting in place a group of young players — Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, Green, Sullinger and Melo — that could become the core of the future. ”

Yeah, that’s some core, I guess he’s automatically assuming Sullinger and Melo become bonafide NBA starters and that Green and Bradley exceed all expectations. Good stuff Chad.

Z-man:
I wonder if the organization, and even some fans, are going to hold this contract over Lin’s head to the degree that he is set up for failure. I suppose that having Kidd and Prigioni there to buffer him makes it so that it is the perfect situation for him to develop into a decent investment in year three, although I doubt he’ll ever be a $15 mill per year player.Still, if he can play like a $7-8 mill player, and you view the contract as a whole, 3 years at $25 mill seems way more reasonable.

The 2 weeks of Linsanity, alone, we’re worth $15 million to this fan. Greatest two weeks of being a sports fan in my 30+ years of it. (none of my pro-teams I root for have won a championship in my lifetime:)

The fact that Lin was making about $6 buck a game during Linsanity should also be factored into the overall perception of the new contract, no?

d-mar:
Chad Ford’s offseason grades are out, and he gives the Knicks a B-. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised given the continuing anti-NY bias in the media.

Meanwhile, he gives the Celtics an A for re-signing Garnett, Green and Bass, adding Jason Terry and drafting Sullinger and Melo. He concludes: “Here’s what’s impressive about Ainge’s moves the past few years. He has maintained his veteran core while still putting in place a group of young players — Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, Green, Sullinger and Melo — that could become the core of the future. ”

Yeah, that’s some core, I guess he’s automatically assuming Sullinger and Melo become bonafide NBA starters and that Green and Bradley exceed all expectations. Good stuff Chad.

I’m not sure why the Kidd addition is being so overlooked. His impact isn’t all that far off from Nash in this situation, IMHO.

I think it’s going to play out the same way it did for Denver in ’08 when they acquired Chauncey Billups. Obviously Kidd isn’t going to be a highly efficient No.2 scorer, but the way he manages the offense and organizes the team on both ends will be difficult to quantify. His passing, despite the assist numbers drop, is still all-world.

And if anyone has had a chance to watch Dallas on Synergy, Carlisle simply couldn’t keep Kidd off the floor — he does so many things well, perhaps subtly to even the trained eye.

Avery Bradley is going to be really good. His defense is probably as good as Shumpert’s, he’s only 21, and he made huge strides on offense last year, going from 0% 3pt shooter to 41%, and 50% to 80% on FTs, overall going from 36% TS% to 56% TS%.

He holds SGs to a 7.6 PER.

Boston outscores opponents by 3.4 per 100 possessions with him on the floor.

In the end you have to judge teams by where they are in the building process. Boston is in a place where they have to be ready to restart things but also want to remain competitive. That means the expectations are less strict (although a A- is probably more appropriate since none of their moves blew me away)

The Knicks are in ultra win-now mode. If they’d managed to make some super trade like Amar’e for Iguodala and Lou Williams, I’d give them an A. Yeah, they’ve signed some solid role guys, but they haven’t addressed what was and will continue to be the biggest concern going into next season: Melo/Stoudemire compatibility.

I know there’s lots of ifs people propose about how health will fix that issue, but even if STAT and Melo don’t hurt each other, I don’t think that’s enough from your two highest paid players. They have to make each other better.

I give them a B+ for doing the best they could without taking any risks.

The more I ruminate on the Kidd signing, the more I like it. The fact is, our bigs need to be fed, including Melo. Getting the ball in the right spot is HUGE for Stat’s offensive game, but the same goes for Chandler (look at his p&r work with Lin.) Even Melo, getting fed in the post or on the block accurately will be great for him.

Now imagine a Lin and Kidd backcourt, with either being able to feed our bigs and/or shoot the three. Not to mention, JR has a fantastic asst. rate for a sg and Shump has pg skills. Our bigs (including Camby and maybe White) will get the ball near the rim.

Obviously Lin and Kidd can’t play the whole game together but JR, Shump and maybe White can really guard three positions well. Kidd can be hidden on defense or just sit if we need to really turn on the D.

max fisher-cohenbut they haven’t addressed what was and will continue to be the biggest concern going into next season: Melo/Stoudemire compatibility.

I know there’s lots of ifs people propose about how health will fix that issue, but even if STAT and Melo don’t hurt each other, I don’t think that’s enough from your two highest paid players. They have to make each other better.

I give them a B+ for doing the best they could without taking any risks.

In theory they represent two offensive styles while still having the skill-sets to complement the styles they aren’t most suited for. You want as much offensive diversity as possible when facing defensive juggernauts like Miami– the Knicks personnel issues last year made them extremely predictable, which is doom against such a physically imposing team.

The problem isn’t Melo/Amar’e, it’s Amar’e/Chandler. It’s figuring out ways to get both Amar’e and Tyson plenty of pick and rolls– as they are the best pick and roll finishing duo in the NBA.

Amar’e was not directly affected by Chandler’s presence in the pnr last year– it’s that the frequency with which they ran it with Chandler (and not Amar’e)– putting STAT into less efficient scoring situations.

AS Frank and I have noted, everything about Amar’e was very good last year and on par with past seasons except for spot-up and mid-range jump shooting. He was something like 15% below his career norm with his jumper.

He will need to score with that jumper like he has in the past with Chandler in the game and Melo creating doubles — and there is little reason to doubt it won’t go back up to his career norm..

If he does that, you can expect him to be a .600 TS guy on lower usage, especially with Kidd around and Lin for a full year. Amar’e was a +.600 TS player in the final third of the season post-weight loss…

ess-dog:
The more I ruminate on the Kidd signing, the more I like it.The fact is, our bigs need to be fed, including Melo.Getting the ball in the right spot is HUGE for Stat’s offensive game, but the same goes for Chandler (look at his p&r work with Lin.)Even Melo, getting fed in the post or on the block accurately will be great for him.

Now imagine a Lin and Kidd backcourt, with either being able to feed our bigs and/or shoot the three.Not to mention, JR has a fantastic asst. rate for a sg and Shump has pg skills.Our bigs (including Camby and maybe White) will get the ball near the rim.

Obviously Lin and Kidd can’t play the whole game together but JR, Shump and maybe White can really guard three positions well.Kidd can be hidden on defense or just sit if we need to really turn on the D.

I’m getting excited about the possibilities.

Camby is one of the better high-low big men passers in the NBA, so last year’s issues with fronting defenses will vanish with him in the game. Passing shouldn’t be an issue and Kidd makes passing contagious.

There are so many wonderful things about Kidd. In transition he’s always getting the ball ahead to a good offensive player in stride with an advantage — the ball is never late and great semi-transition offensive players like Amar’e, Melo and JR are going to have a field day — it’s something we haven’t seen much of because of the pg situation. That alone is going to boost the team’s offensive efficiency.

Kidd won’t get credited for assists on those plays, however. In the half-court, I don’t really think there’s anyone else like him. He doesn’t hold the ball for more than a second unless he’s making an entry-pass, which are always at an angle that gives the offensive player a step on the defender.

When a defender rotates to him, he’ll wait to the last second to swing….

ruruland:
There are so many wonderful things about Kidd. In transition he’s always getting the ball ahead to a good offensive player in stride with an advantage — the ball is never late and great semi-transition offensive players like Amar’e, Melo and JR are going to have a field day — it’s something we haven’t seen much of because of the pg situation. That alone is going to boost the team’s offensive efficiency.

Kidd won’t get credited for assists on those plays, however. In the half-court, I don’t really think there’s anyone else like him. He doesn’t hold the ball for more than a second unless he’s making an entry-pass, which are always at an angle that gives the offensive player a step on the defender.

So do we need Lin? We have Kidd and Prigioni. And both can do the same things and maybe better way than Lin. We little older ballers are underrated ;o)

When a defender rotates to him, he’ll wait to the last second to swing….

Re: the media, it’s funny how NYers think there’s an anti-NY bias, yet the rest of the country thinks there’s a pro NY, and pro East Coast, bias.

Having said that, Grunwald deserves an A for his offseason when put in the proper context. With no cap space to work with, he kept the team together and added a great back-up PG (and a real 3rd string PG), a great rebounding big man and hopefully some athleticism and bench scoring in White and Copeland.

So now if Lin goes down for a stretch the team may not fall apart, especially if Prigioni is any good. Same with Tyson, plus he doesn’t have to worry about foul trouble.

The only thing we didn’t address is another 3 pt shooting 2 guard. I am hopeful that Grunwald can add Meeks or Foye.

I think the complaint is not so much that the media is biased towards liking teams on the coasts, but rather that that is all that the media will seemingly ever discuss. Like the Knicks get covered more than, say, the Spurs. That’s what I’ve seen the other fans across the world complain about, that their team never gets any attention, just the teams from LA and the Northeast. Hell, even the LA fans sometimes complain that the Northeast teams get a disproportionate amount of attention. Like I’m sure Angel fans think that the Yankees and Red Sox get too much attention that should go their way.

I think there is a well deserved pessimistic view of the Knicks everywhere, but not much of a bias against the other teams (other than everybody hating the Yankees – but I think that’s a class envy hate-the-rich-thing).
Let’s face it, the Knicks organization has been a joke, in all respects, for a long time until Linsanity hit.

Whitw looks like he belongs in the NBA. Looks like they’re not pushing him too much, he probably needs to get acclimated. Most of these guys are serious scrubs, though, Copeland has not impressed thus far.

Brian, one of the Rockets beat writers (Jonathan Feigen) has been tweeting that the Knicks are refusing to have anyone but Grunwald physically accept the offer sheet from the courier, and they’re keeping Grunwald hidden. It sounds ridiculous, or like a way for them to tweak Houston by tying their hands even longer past the three-day limit.

Hahn said during the game that they have to physically get the offer sheet in their home office, which prob won’t happen until Monday. Then at that point the 72 hour window starts, so Tuesday is not really the deadline.

Brian, one of the Rockets beat writers (Jonathan Feigen) has been tweeting that the Knicks are refusing to have anyone but Grunwald physically accept the offer sheet from the courier, and they’re keeping Grunwald hidden. It sounds ridiculous, or like a way for them to tweak Houston by tying their hands even longer past the three-day limit.

I only watched the fourth quarter but White was the only Knick who looked remotely like an NBA player- decent handle, good first step, and surprisingly good court vision. Made 3 or 4 really nice passes off of the dribble. Hard to get a read on anybody offensively when the guard play is so bad but White scoring only 4 points isn’t a great sign.

What was impressive about his passing off of the dribble was that he hit cutters a couple of times for lay-ups but also dished to the wing and the corner for open threes. He really saw the whole floor- great attribute for a slasher. If he can shoot a lick from the outside he could be a really nice pick-up.

alsep73:
Brian, one of the Rockets beat writers (Jonathan Feigen) has been tweeting that the Knicks are refusing to have anyone but Grunwald physically accept the offer sheet from the courier, and they’re keeping Grunwald hidden. It sounds ridiculous, or like a way for them to tweak Houston by tying their hands even longer past the three-day limit.

They should respect that Grunwald traditionally spends the Bastille Day weekend hiking Killamanjaro with his family.